Vanilla Twilight
by Rae-Prite
Summary: There were so many things left unsaid; so many questions that still needed to be answered; so many thoughts to be voiced. In the wee hours of the morning, when the world is still under the spell of the night, Joe remembers a lost friend. Dedicated to Lola (Copagirl), a fellow Joette and friend. Franklin W. Dixion owns The Hardy's, Owl City owns "Vanilla Twilight", I own the idea.


_AN: This story is dedicated to Lola, who was the biggest Joette of us all. She made us all feel welcome, and was willing to talk until twilight. We'll always miss you. The song this story was inspired by is "Vanilla Twilight" written, performed (and owned) by Owl City. Enjoy!_

**Vanilla Twilight**

**Rae Prite**

**The Story**

_The stars lean down to kiss you  
And I lie awake and miss you  
Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere_

Joe rested his arms on his legs, leaning forward and breathing out slowly, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. The porch was covered in a thin layer of mist that was soaking into his sleep pants and chilling his bare feet, but he didn't care. If anything, the condensation made it easier to believe he was here in the present and not dreaming anymore.

He didn't understand why he'd had the dream again. It had been over a year since Iola's death. As far as he could remember, there wasn't any sort of anniversary connected to her memory that could've triggered the nightmare. It wasn't her birthday. Not their first date, or the day they met. It wasn't the day she died. Today (or was it yesterday now?) was just another day. Yet the dream had come – as vividly as it had the first few weeks after the explosion – and now he couldn't seem to get it out of his head. He couldn't get her out of his head.

'_Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly  
But I'll miss your arms around me  
I'd send a postcard to you, dear  
'Cause I wish you were here_

Joe was not a gambler, but he was good at going with his gut. Right now, that gut feeling was telling him he knew why he was dreaming of Iola again. It wasn't about the guilt of her death, or his actions that had inadvertently led to it. True, that last nightmare had him waking in a cold sweat, the explosion seeming to echo in his ears all over again, but before that he felt pretty good. The dream started out very pleasantly.

He closed his eyes, breathing in the cool night air. He could see it happening again behind his eyelids.

_I'll watch the night turn light-blue  
But it's not the same without you  
Because it takes two to whisper quietly_

Joe and Iola were sitting on a blanket along a stretch of deserted, rocky coastline. The _Sleuth _was beached not far away. They'd come here to be alone for a while. Iola sat close to his side, and he wrapped his arm around her snugly, kissing her cheek.

Iola smiled and fiddled with a handful of pretty rocks and shells she'd found. "How have you been?" she asked, examining a cracked sand dollar.

He nuzzled her dark hair with his nose. "What do you mean? I've been here with you."

She rubbed the pad of her thumb across the shell. "No. I mean, how's Frank and your parents? How's my family? The gang? Callie?" She continued to gently brush sand off her find, humming contentedly beneath her breath.

Joe pulled back and looked at her blankly. "You saw them earlier. They're all fine. Callie's still a pill sometimes, but you know Frank can't resist her, and she makes him happy. Chet decided to take up knitting – remember? He showed us before we left… although it really looked more like a tangled spider web than a scarf," he chuckled lightly.

She glanced up between strands of dark hair, an unreadable expression in her eyes, even as she smiled. "That's good. How's Vanessa?"

_The silence isn't so bad  
Til I look at my hands and feel sad  
'Cause the spaces between my fingers  
Are right where yours fit perfectly_

The question caught him off guard.

Joe sat back, blinking at the beach around them. Suddenly the sunset over the water, the _Sleuth_, the beach, everything began looking transparent and hazy – like a mirage. He glanced down at Iola, who was still smiling, but the shells were gone from her lap.

"Um… I don't," he faltered. He was about to tell her he didn't know who Vanessa was. He didn't understand all these questions about their families and friends. Why would she be asking him any of that? "Iola, I –"

"Are you happy, Joe?" she asked simply.

He frowned, wrinkles appearing on his forehead. "Of course I am. I'm with you."

She shook her head, closing her eyes and sighing softly. "Oh Joe." She opened her eyes as she leaned forward and kissed his lips gently. She threaded her fingers between his, gazing at their twined hands as she said, "I miss you."

"What do you mean? Iola, you're scaring me." Joe wished she would look up. He wanted to see her eyes, to reassure her he was right in front of her. She kept a tight, surprisingly strong hold on his hands, keeping him from letting go to tilt up her chin.

She giggled, ignoring how he was trying to tug his hands away. "Joe Hardy scared? Not likely. You'll always be a knight in shining armor. Brave as can be. That's what I loved about you. That's what she loves about you."

Joe was beginning to panic, but he couldn't explain why. While he'd been focusing on Iola, the beach had disappeared. Now they were kneeling together on the hard asphalt in a parking garage. He attempted to pull his girlfriend to her feet as his anxiety spiked. "Iola, we have to go. We have to get out of here! C'mon!"

_I'll find repose in new ways  
Though I haven't slept in two days  
'Cause cold nostalgia chills me to the bone_

She didn't move, even as he got to his feet and glanced around fearfully. "Joe, I always loved you. Even when you drove me crazy. I hope you loved me."

"Of course I love you, Iola!" Joe exclaimed. "That's why I'm telling you we have to leave! Something bad is going to happen if we don't."

Iola finally looked up, and she smiled serenely. "Something already has, Joe," she told him gently, "but it's fine. Everything's going to be okay. Promise me something, though?"

"Anything," he agreed readily, hoping it would get her to leave the parking garage with him.

"Love her as much as you loved me," Iola smiled. "She deserves it."

"Who?" Joe's dread spiked when he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that they were standing right next to the old yellow convertible. Where had that come from?

"Vanessa," she breathed.

Then the bomb went off.

_But drenched in vanilla twilight  
I'll sit on the front porch all night  
Waist deep in thought because  
When I think of you, I don't feel so alone  
I don't feel so alone  
I don't feel so alone_

Joe knew why he had the dream.

He had lost more than a girlfriend in the explosion. He'd lost his best friend too. He always knew he could tell Iola anything. Each and every time, she would listen, give him advice when he needed it, and knock him upside the head when he deserved it. Tonight, more than ever, he just wished he could talk with her one last time.

He held up his hands, staring at where he remembered her fingers lacing together with his in the dream. Her tiny hands were always a perfect fit for his. They weren't the only ones that fit there now, but they would always be the first.

_As many times as I blink I'll think of you  
…Tonight_

_When violet eyes get brighter  
And heavy wings grow lighter  
I'll taste the sky and feel alive again_

_And I'll forget the world that I knew  
But I swear I won't forget you_

_Oh, if my voice could reach back through the past  
I'd whisper in your ear…_

Joe sighed and stood up just as daylight began to break over the trees. He walked to the back door, hoping he might be able to get a few more hours of sleep now. His hand hesitated over the handle, and uncertainly he glanced back over his shoulder.

It could've been his imagination, or maybe sleep deprivation. For just a second, he saw Iola sitting on the swing beneath the brothers' old tree house. She smiled and waved, blowing him a kiss, before she vanished.

Joe smiled and caught the kiss, holding it to his chest. He whispered, _"Oh, darling, I wish you were here."_

**The End**

_AN: This story is dedicated to the memory of Lola aka Copagirl, a long time Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew fan fiction author who recently passed away. Lola had a heart defect and went through many surgeries, being given what she described as "every artificial or replacement heart under the sun". Despite these challenges, Lola was always happy and full of life, making everyone feel welcome on the Hardy Detective Agency forum (hda dot com slash forum). I'm honored to have known her, and sincerely hope she would have approved of this little piece about her favorite Hardy brother._


End file.
